1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to remote control devices which have a learning function which includes receiving and storing a control signal, and more particularly to such device in which a learned state of a control signal by the learning function is easily confirmed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the development of electronic techniques, electronic devices such as television sets, video tape recorders and stereophonic devices have a remote control device annexed thereto.
The remote control devices annexed originally to specified electronic devices (hereinafter referred to as "pure" remote control devices) manufactured by any particular maker are not usable with electronic devices of different kinds and makers or with different kinds of electronic devices. The number of different remote control devices would increase in direct proportion to the number of different kinds of electronic devices and the number of different makers.
Recently, learning remote control devices have been proposed as ones adaptable to electronic devices of different kinds and/or makers.
The learning remote control device is adapted to be used as a remote control device for different electronic devices in that the learning remote control device receives a control signal delivered by a "pure" remote control device and stores it in a memory in correspondence to a key, reads from the memory the control signal stored in correspondence to the operated key, and sends the control signal.
Therefore, a key for which the control signal is stored cannot be specified (in other words, a key for which no control signal is stored cannot be specified). Thus, when an electronic device is to be operated remotely by a learning remote control device, it is unclear which key should be operated. In addition, when a control signal is to be newly stored in the learning control device, an idle key for which no remote control signal is stored cannot be identified, disadvantageously. Furthermore, when a control signal from the pure remote control device was tried to be stored, it cannot be recognized whether the control signal was correctly received and stored in the memory.
For example, before the maker forwards the articles, it confirms the learning function of remote control devices about whether the control signal can be learned correctly to ensure the quality of the articles, by causing the control signal to be actually learned. To this end, a dedicated device is required to be connected to each of the remote control devices. Thus, considerable time and labor are required for confirmation of the learning function and hence the efficiency of the work would be reduced undesirably.